However, during the last five decades, 20-35% of our mangroves have disappeared. In many parts of the world, mangroves have been converted into fishponds and agricultural areas2  or have been removed to make way for urban sprawl and coastal development. Remaining  mangroves are under threat of degradation from unsustainable exploitation for timber and fuelwood or from infrastructure developments that alter the nutrient, sediment, and water supplies that mangroves depend upon.  In some cases, ground water extraction has caused entire coastal areas to sink, resulting in mangrove loss and coastal erosion. Mangrove degradation and loss has altered the structure and function of valuable coastlines, weakening the ecosystem services mangroves provide and releasing carbon back to the atmosphere in the process.